Bitter in affliction

Ruth 1: 20-21

Don’t call me Naomi,” she told them. “Call me Mara, because the Almighty has made my life very bitter. I went away full, but the LORD has brought me back empty. Why call me Naomi? The LORD has afflicted me; the Almighty has brought misfortune upon me.” 

Its very difficult to be positive when things do not work out. 

Life has been hard on Naomi. She left her hometown for a seemingly better place but instead encountered a worst state of life and had to return eventually when things didn't work out. In her context, she witnessed the death of her husband and two sons. 

In the hardest of time, joy is often sucked out and how easy it is to fall into a state of bitterness and offense. For a short-tempered, critical person, I can attest to it. However, the journey only gets more difficult when we close up and look at life negatively and everything irks us. Things only spiral out of control into a worser state  as we allow bitterness to consume us. 

I always say, emotions come and go. However, the most key is the fact that the Lord prevails. I'm grateful that the story of Naomi ends in joy because it testifies of God's goodness as our redeemer even when we proclaim bitterness in our life's affliction.

M.

Strength for the journey

Psalms 46:10

He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” The LORD Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. 

Overwhelmed.

The season has been overwhelming and looking ahead, the many uncertainties coupled with our individual problems that is troubling us and making the attempt to journey ahead tough. As we gathered to seek the Lord on Saturday, it was humbling to lock arms and yet be our own individual selves before the Lord.

2012 is about to arrive, and with the many things that we have worked to achieve, the equivalent amount of personal challenges are crippling some of us in the RR community. However, as I sat and waiting in the presence of God, accompanied by the people who have impacted my life greatly, I couldn't help but recognise that even these whom I look up to, are helpless. It made God to be even more sovereign because when no one is able to come to our aid, the only way to look us up or down. I sat in tears, I chose to look up because this was the verse that had triggered the urgent prayer meeting.

When difficulties of life overwhelm us, the Lord still reigns. Just as the hebrews feared the approaching Egyptian army and stood trapped by the red sea before them, they were told to stand and see the salvation of the Lord. Therefore, we choose to stand and be still before God because He will carry us through our individual issues and the challenges that we face in the ministry.

His name be exalted.

M

Daily Encouragement

Hebrews 3:13

But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness.

It is not a very common occurrence, but yesterday my mentee sent me an encouragement verse in the morning. He would have never imagined that his simple encouragement would result in the key verse striking my heart and result in a series of emails that would culminate with the fruition of a rallying call to have a corporate time of prayer amongst the RR leadership on saturday.

It's a tall order to encourage one another daily. But I can fully understand how important it is to our souls to have someone speak words of life. 

I've just sent a sms of encouragement to encourage my mentee, I hope I can maintain the discipline. Who can you encourage regularly?

M.

Strength in weakness

2 Corinthians 12:10

That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

This was a part of the sermon on Sunday. The emphasis was on understanding that in our weakness, we will witness the grace of God in our circumstances as He leads us through with His provision and strength.

Boy is it really hard to delight in weaknesses and all hardship. I cannot really swallow the truth mentioned by Paul because it is a hard message.Yet, that is also the reality of life. As I witness individuals fall sick and get hospitalised, it is only through this physically weakness that they have nothing except for the grace of God to empower them with the needed strength that will pull them through.

M.

Tomorrow may never come

James 4:14

Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.

The past 4 weeks, I know of 2 individuals who have been hospitalised and I've made more trips to NUH than I have to Orchard road. But each trip to the hospital reveals the fragile nature of our life as the hospital is a place of birth as well as death.

The individuals I visit are healthy until something crops up unexpectedly and they get warded. As I witnessed one go from strong to weak, I'm reminded that we aren’t here just to pass time until we die. Worse if we waste all the time given to us thinking that we can always redeem it some other day. That day may never come.

We are here to enjoy God, fulfill His purpose, and have a significant impact.

M.